The Cisco PDSN solution is a standards-compliant solution that helps enable packet data services in a CDMA environment. The PDSN acts as an access gateway and provides simple IP and Mobile IP access, foreign-agent support, and packet transport for virtual private networking. It acts as a client for authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) servers, and also enables prepaid billing services. Standalone PDSNs can also be logically tied together in a clustering architecture to provide scalability, redundancy, load sharing, and more. Figure 1 illustrates how the Cisco PDSN fits in a CDMA network.

Figure 1

CDMA2000 Network with a Cisco PDSN and Other Required Components for Packet Data Services
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Cisco PDSN supports all required standards, including the Third-Generation Partnership Project 1 Technical Specification Group P and X (3GPP2 TSG-P, TSG-X) standard and the Wireless IP Network Standard (also known as TIA/EIA/IS-835), which defines the overall structure of a CDMA2000 network. It includes features such as enhanced Mobile IP, carrier-class accounting, compression, security, and authentication. Cisco PDSN also supports 3GPP2 TSG-A, the Interoperability Specification for CDMA2000 Access Network Interfaces (also known as TIA/EIA/IS-2001). The 3GPP2 TSG-A standard focuses on the RAN and the interfaces between RAN and the PDSN. In addition, Cisco PDSN also complies with the Nortel Closed RP interface specification.

Cisco PDSN Hardware Platform

Cisco PDSN today is offered on two platforms. The first is the Cisco 7206VXR Router platform, equipped with a Cisco NPE-G1 Network Processing Engine. Hardware assistance for IP Security (IPSec) is available through the use of the Cisco VPN Acceleration Module 2 Plus card (part number SA-VAM2+) for scalable encryption acceleration and the IPSec software bundle. The service adapter can be added to a deployed PDSN as long as a slot is available and bandwidth point rule respected. The physical interfaces supported on a Cisco 7206VXR for the R-P interface (facing the RAN) can be Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, ATM, or Frame Relay. The PDSN Internet (P-I) interface (facing the IP network) can be any media. The Radio Network PDSN (R-P) and P-I interfaces are independent of physical media. Typical physical interfaces used include Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet.

For deployments requiring a higher density, the Cisco PDSN also runs on the Cisco Multiprocessor WAN Application Module (MWAM) for the Cisco 7600 Series Router and Cisco Catalyst
® 6500 Series Switch, where each MWAM runs five PDSN images as virtual routers. Hardware assistance for IPSec operations is available with the use of the Cisco 7600/Catalyst 6500 IPSec VPN Services Module. The physical interfaces supported on the Cisco 7600 Series and Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series for both the R-P and P-I interfaces can be Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, FlexWAN (ATM, Frame Relay), and the new series of Cisco Shared Port Adapter (SPA) and SPA Interface Processor (SIP) line cards.

PDSN Details: Features and Specifications

The Cisco PDSN solution provides all standard interfaces, and includes value-added features that enhance the customer experience and improve availability, scalability, and security. Some of the supported IETF Requests for Comments (RFCs) and features are outlined in Table 1.

• IP address assignment - In the simple IP case, the dynamic IP address assignment occurs in the IP Control Protocol (IPCP) phase of PPP setup. The address is obtained from a RADIUS server or can be assigned from a local pool on the PDSN. In the case of Mobile IP, the address is obtained from the home agent through the foreign agent.

1CDMA is one of three primary mobile communication technologies, the other two being time-division multiple access (TDMA) IS-136 and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). CDMA2000 is the third-generation CDMA technology that offers packet data.

2Software Application Support (SAS) is required for the Cisco PDSN. The Cisco PDSN is not covered by the Cisco SMARTnet® contract for chassis hardware.